The team's five straight losses seemed to have little impact on the hearts of many fans who gathered at the Bell Center on Sunday for the Canadiens Skills Competition.
Even after having to wait a bit before the event began, the thousands of spectators warmly applauded the Habs players as they demonstrated their skills in six different events.
• Also read: A throw at 107.2 mph for Arber Xhekaj
At first glance, Cole Caufield appeared to be the player with the most fans, wearing a jersey with his name on it in the crowd. Quebec goalkeeper Samuel Montembeault was undoubtedly the one who handed out the most autographs.
“I almost feel guilty when I forget people. There are so many people that we do what we can,” said the goalkeeper. It's nice to see how happy people are. They call our name so we can visit them. I like interactions like that with fans.”
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The supporters supported a sign and also suggested that Montembeault exchange a puck for a chocolate bar.
“I saw the sign, I sent them a puck, but they didn’t give the Caramilk back,” the goalie said with a laugh. There was a catch, but that doesn’t matter.”
A family atmosphere
The highlight was above all the powerful round shot from defender Arber.
Nevertheless, there was a nice family atmosphere in the amphitheater. Among the players, Mike Matheson took advantage of the day to share some great moments with his son Hudson.
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In the first event of the day, Alex Newhook was the fastest runner, while only two Canadian players took part in the exercise. We can't conclude that Newhook is the Habs' best skater, but thanks to a 13.372-second lap, he was faster than young Quebecer Joshua Roy. At the party's invitation, some players from the Montreal team of the Professional Women's Hockey League (LPHF) also took part in the event, and Sarah Bujold performed best (14.247 seconds).
No menage a quatre
Later, in a relay, the biggest highlight will likely be newcomer Colin White foolishly dropping the puck while victory seemed within reach for his team.
The precision shooting test was the work of Cole Caufield who, despite a 4 out of 6 performance, managed to destroy the targets in 12.386 seconds. Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson each managed to detonate all four targets with five shots, but took longer than Caufield.
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To add to the show, “Maggie the Goalie,” a German Shepherd, came to stop a few pucks. A little intimidated by the crowd, the animal wasn't doing too badly. However, we shouldn't expect a ménage à quatre in front of the Habs network in the short term. Montembeault is already accompanied by Jake Allen and Cayden Primeau.
A bad sequence
On Saturday afternoon, the Canadian lost 4 to 3 against the Devils in New Jersey. The Canadian will look to end his five-game losing streak on Tuesday night when they host the Arizona Coyotes. The timing would be good because then the team from Montreal will embark on a four-game trip abroad.
After a stop in Florida to face the Panthers on Thursday and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, the CH travels to Nashville and Raleigh, North Carolina the following week. Some Canadian players could also see their final moments in a Habs jersey during this trip as the trade deadline ensues on Friday, March 8.